The Forgotten Maya Temples was a one-hour documentary that explored the mysterious and forgotten temples of Palenque and other ancient sites in Central America. One man, Spanish explorer Jose Calderon, made an incredible discovery when he stumbled across the lost temples, along with hieroglyphs dating back hundreds of years to the Maya people. He opened up a world of secrets that had been kept hidden from the eyes of Western civilization since the Spanish conquistadors destroyed much of their culture centuries ago.
One key figure in unlocking these secrets was Tatiana Proskouriakoff, an archeologist who worked at Harvard’s Peabody Museum. She discovered that there was more to the monuments than just pictures and symbols, but an entire history contained within them. Yuri Knorosov, a Russian linguist working behind the Iron Curtain also made a major breakthrough by proposing that the glyphs represented sounds; though his ideas went largely unnoticed in the West.
It wasn’t until David Stuart entered into Maya studies at age 12 with his first scholarly paper on glyphs that more progress could be made in deciphering this forgotten language. Through his advances in script decipherment, a vivid image of what life was like for this ancient civilization finally began to emerge. Now their descendants can relearn their language and understand their own history in ways they never have before.
The Forgotten Maya Temples is an incredible documentary about uncovering a long-forgotten culture and connecting with our past. It is a must-watch for anyone interested in learning more about this fascinating civilization and its role in our modern world. If you want to discover more about this captivating slice of history, make sure to check out The Forgotten Maya Temples!
